Emma Watson’s wonderful speech at the United Nations has unfolded a mass of confusing but revelationary thoughts and feelings that I have yet to understand fully. That women should have equal rights and aspirations to men has always seemed obvious to me. I had never believed before that we men may also be trapped by the expectations that society has for us. I was brought up with the ‘men don’t cry’ belief. I was brought up with the ‘men must be strong’ belief. I was brought up with the ‘men must fix it’ belief. This last is the crux. The man comes home – his wife and kids share their worries, fears and problems, and the man thinks – I have to fix these. It is a huge burden that he often feels that he has to carry alone. Now I am beginning to share this feeling, and it’s not easy.

This is all that I am going to say today, because I feel that I have a revolution going on inside of me and I have Emma to thank for that. The world will be a such better place when all men and women (i.e. people) can be what they want, and not what they are expected to be.

Enjoy a walk through the Devon countryside without leaving your chair, complete with narration. Here’s a video I put together from footage and stills from only compact cameras, using free editing software. The only expensive item was the microphone for the narration. Just sit back and relax – I already did the walking!

This version, introduced in German, but performed in English, sort of went viral as a New Year tradition in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic Countries. The sketch has nothing to do with New Year, as Miss Sophie is celebrating her 90th Birthday with her (absent) friends. Enjoy 🙂

Wikipedia “Dinner for One, also known as The 90th Birthday, or by its corresponding German alternative title, Der 90. Geburtstag, is a two-hander comedy sketch written by British author Lauri Wylie for the theatre in the 1920s. German television station Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) recorded a performance of the piece in 1963, in its original English language, with a short introduction in German. This comedy sketch went on to become the most frequently repeated TV programme ever.

The 18-minute single take black-and-white 1963 TV recording featuring British comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden has become an integral component of the New Year’s Eve schedule of several German television stations. Versions of the sketch are also shown by Danish, and Swedish channels, a December 23 staple on Norwegian national television, and a cult television classic in Finland, Estonia, Lithuania the Faroe Islands and Austria; on New Year’s Eve 2003 alone, the sketch was broadcast 19 times (on various channels). As of 2005, the sketch has been repeated more than 230 times. It is famous in other countries as well — including German-speaking Switzerland and South Africa. It is likewise broadcast on New Year in Australia on SBS.”

This week’s song with lyrics is Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallelujah, beautifully performed by Savannah Outen. Enjoy!

Guitar by Jake Coco

LEONARD COHEN LYRICS

“Hallelujah”

I’ve heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, HallelujahHallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you She tied you to a kitchen chair She broke your throne, and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before I know this room, I’ve walked this floor I used to live alone before I knew you. I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch Love is not a victory march It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time when you let me know What’s really going on below But now you never show it to me, do you? And remember when I moved in you The holy dove was moving too And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above But all I’ve ever learned from love Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you It’s not a cry you can hear at night It’s not somebody who has seen the light It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

It appears that a large meteor, estimated to have weighed in at a hefty 50 tonnes streaked across the sky in Russia earlier today (15th February), glowing brighter and brighter as it heated up at high altitude. It then exploded, breaking up into smaller pieces which impacted over a large area of the Ural Mountains, injuring nearly 1,000 people.

According to Russia Today: “Army units found three meteorite debris impact sites, two of which are in an area near Chebarkul Lake, west of Chelyabinsk. The third site was found some 80 kilometers further to the northwest, near the town of Zlatoust. One of the fragments that struck near Chebarkul left a crater six meters in diameter.”

At least two towns in the area have declared a state of emergency, and President Putin has promised immediate aid.